Machine for operating boiler-tube cleaners.



Patentd Nov. 2a, |899.

W. D. FURSYTH & E. T. BELL.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING BOILER TUBE CLEANERS.

(Application Bled Dec. 4, 1897.)

(No Model.)

WIWI

Inventors aan, '7M 5; 17,A @La @Td/M A Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILBER D. FORSYTH AND ENOS T. BELL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE UNION BOILER TUBE CLEANER COMPANY, OF SAME MACHINE FOR OPERATING BOILER-TUBE CLEANERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patient No. 637,774. dated November 28, 1899.

Application led December 4, 1897. Serial No. 660,753. (No model.)

T LZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILBER D. FoRsY'rH and ENOS T. BELL, citizens of the United States, and residents of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Operating Boiler-Tube Cleaners; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descripio tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a I5 part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation, partly broken away and illustrating the invention applied to a boiler as in use. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the gear-head and conneczo tions. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of a boiler-drum, showing the manner of supporting the appliance. Figs. 5, and 7 are detail views. Fig. 8 is a detail View of the universal-joint connection between the driving-shaft within the drum and its driving-shaft. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the clutch which controls the operation of the counter-shaft. v

This invention has relation to mechanism 3o for the purpose of operating boiler-tube-cleaning devices while the latter are being fed through tubes which are more or less curved,

as in some types of water-tube boilers, and the invention is designed to provide practi- 3 5 cal and ecient mechanism for this purpose.

With this object in view the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out'in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which we have shown our invention as in use in connection with a boiler of the Stirling type, the letter A designates the drum of the boiler, and B the water-tubes thereof.

C designates a guide-shaft formed with a keyway c, running throughout its length and supported firmly in its position in the upper portion of the boiler drum, longitudinally thereof. The supports for this shaft consist of plates D of the form best shown in Fig. 4 and which are securely bolted to triangles or standards E. These triangles or standards are temporarily set up Within the drum, one at each end thereof, and are preferably constrncted with turnbuckles E' in order that they may be readily adjusted and firmly screwed up to place. Mounted to slide longitudinally upon the said guide-shaft is a gear-head which has an extended sleeve F, formed with a spline or feather f, which engages the keyway c of the shaft, thus holding said head in proper position, while permittin g it to be moved freely back and forth on said shaft throughout its length. Projecting from the said sleeve are arms F', which are provided with bearings for a driving-shaft G, which is parallel with the guide-shaft and whose end portions have bearingsin the plates D. Said shaft G has therein akeyway g and is further supported and held against vibration by means of one or more sliding plates or brackets H, which have feathers which engage the keyway of the guide-shaft. J ou rnaled in the said gear-head is a short shaft I, Which carries two miter gear-wheels I' and I. On the shaft G and engaging its keyway is a similar gear-Wheel J, whose teeth engage the teeth of the gear-Wheel I. Pivoted on the said shaft I is a yoke K, which is adapted to be swung in a plane parallel with the guide and driving shafts. Mounted in said yoke upon an axle L is a miter gear-wheel L', which meshes with the gear-wheel I". Connected to the shaft L is a flexible shaft M, to which is attached the tube-cleaning device or head W, which is shown as being of the sectional jointed construction described and claimed in our pending application, Serial No.660,752. This flexible shaft is provided with an intermediate support and bearing consisting of a number of pulleys N, which are carried by an arm'N, attached to a standard N, set up within the drum A and provided with a turnbuckle n for its adjustment.

O is a sprocket-chain Whose ends are made fast to the gear-head and which at the distant end of the drum passes over a small sprocketwheel O', which is adjustably mounted in a side lof the drum can slotted armA 0.", secu red to the adjacent plate D. Connected to the plate D at theopposite end of the drumis an arm or frame P, which carries at its upper portion two sprocket-,

wheels 'P' P" and at its lower end portion a third .sprocket-Wheel P", which is provided with an operati-ng-crankp. The-two branches of the chain pass, respectively, over .the wheels PP, and thence down and around the wheel P'". By the operation of the crank p the head maybe moved in both directions to any desired ing shafts.

In the arrangement illustrated the dIfYilfigj. shaft'is extended out through a small open--V` ing in the head of the drum a-nd is connected with' a short shaft R by means of a universal Said short shaft is journaled in a block S lon avert-ical vstandard S", .or it may. be iin any other suitable manner.V vOn said, shaft Bis a pulley T, which is'driven .by a 4beltT'fromacou'ntebshatt T. Saidcounter# l join-t S',

shaft has al clutch U, from which .a shipperrope'U'.' is carried into the drum A, tnroiigh the manhole thereof, so that vthe operator input on or .cut olf the power, as ymay be necessary.

VIn setting .up the device the drum-head must be drilled to provide the opening for the driving-shaft to pass through, and this openingshould be tapped to receive a plug.

for the purpose of closing it after the operation is completed.

l companying drawings Without .detailed `de-v To clean, the tubesvat .the

bushing V is placed in said opening to pre- -vent injury to the thread.

The manner of using the device will beunderstood. from .the foregoing and fromthe acscription thereof. l'eftlhand end portion of the boiler, the yoke lK 'is reversed on the shaft I from the position .fin which it vis lshown in Fig. l and the gearhead is moved toward the right-hand end. `In case it should not be desired to drill the head 'of the drum for the driving-.shaft'G 'said shaft can readily be driven by suitable gear connections through the manhole of the drum.

specified. v

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

vl. In mechanism for the purpose described,

the combination of supporting devices to the gearing of said head, substantially as 2. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of supporting devices adapted to be set up within the drum of the boiler to be cleaned, a guide-shaft supported thereby,

aparalleldriving-shaft, means for actuating position on t-heguide and driv` During the operation a actuatedby the driving-shaft, a flexible tool- VAoperating shaft connected with the gearing on said head', and means-for causing the endwise travelof the gear-hea'dnpon said guide and driving shafts, substantially as specified.

3. In mechanism oftheclassldescribed, the combination of supporting devices adapted to be set up within the drum of the boiler to vbe cleaned, a guide-shaft supported thereby,

a parallel driving-shaft, means for actuating the same, a gear-head slidingly mounted upon lthe said shafts and having gearing which is actuated by the drivinglshaft, a tool-operatingshaft connected with said gearing, and a sprocket-chainconnected at its lends to the said gear-head, intermediate bearings for said cha-in, and means for operatingthe sa-me to thereby vmove the said head in either direction, substantially as specified.

. 4.V In mechanism of thecharacter described, the combination .of .the supportinfgdevices. `,the parallel guide and driving shafts, the

. gear-head mounted to slide on said shafts and carrying gearing` which is .driven by the said driving-shaft, means foractuating said driving-shaft, the .cleaner-head, the liexible shaft carrying andoperatingthe same and .driven by the gearing Aof .said head, andintermediate supports and bearings for the said iexible shaft, substantially as specified.

.5. .In mechanism .of theclass described, the combination with supports adapted to be `set up within thedrum of` a boiler, guide and drivin g shafts supported thereby, agear-head slidingly mounted `,on said shafts, a short shaft jonrnaled in the said head, and geared tothe said driving-shaft, .a yoke pivoted on said .short shaft, a gearfwheel carried by said yoke and engaging a gear-Wheelon the short shaft, and a iiexible tool .carrying and operating shaftconnected to the gear-Wheel on the yoke, together with -means for actuating said driving-shaft, substantially as specified.

6. In vmechanism tof. the class described, a powerdriven shaft, bracket or supportin g devices adapted to beset up within thedrum of a boiler to support said shaft with relation to the Aseries of tubes to be cleaned, a flexible shaft operativelyconnectedto the first-named vshaft .exteriorly'of the said tubes, and arranged to be carried to anyfone of ysaid tubes without .changing the position of the first- .named shaft, and a tube-cleaning tool .or head carried by said flexible shaft, substantially as specified. v

7. In mechanism of the'class described, the

and the gear-head carried thereby, of the standards or triangles which support the said shafts, a slotted arm carried by one of these y supports, an arm or framecarried by .the other support, a sprocket-Wheel mounted lin said slotted arm, other sprocketfwheels mounted on the `saidarm or'frame, one ofwhich Wheels has an operating-crank, and a sprocket-chain IOO Vcombination with the guideand driving shafts whose ends are connected to opposite sidesof the said gear-head and which is carried by the said sprocket-wheels, substantially as specified.

S. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with the guide and driving shafts, the gear-head, means whereby said gear-head may be moved along the said shafts, and the gearing in said head connected to and driven by the said driving-shaft, of a flexible tool-operating shaft operatively connected with the gearing of said gear-head, an adjustable standard, and a number of pulleys carried thereby and forming an intermediate support or bearing for the said shaft, substantially as specified.

9. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of supporting devices adapted to be set up within the drum of a boiler, a driving-shaft supported thereby, and extended through the drum-head of. the boiler, and having a universal joint exteriorly of the boiler, driving mechanism for said shaft, and means whereby the operation ot' such mechanism may be controlled at will, together with a flexible tool-carrying shaft geared to said driving-shaft Within the said drum, substantially as specified.

10. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with supporting devices adapted to be set up within the drum ofa boiler, of a HeXible tool-carrying shaft supported thereby, a jointed tube-cleanin g tool carried by the said shaft and gearing supported by the said supporting devices and adapted to be connected to driving mechanism exterior to the said drum, substantially as specied.

l1. In mechanism for operating a tubecleaning tool, supporting-heads having upper bearing-faces, a longitudinal connecting-bar and extensible diverging legs connected with lateral lugs in the heads and adapted to bear against the boiler-drum and to clamp the heads in position, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILBER D. EoRsYTH. ENos T. BELL.

Witnesses:

Jos. G. ORMsBY, C. E. DENNIS. 

